IN EGYPT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 2 January 1917, Page 6

IN EGYPT.

BRILLIANT WORK. .COLONIAL TROOPS ENGAGED. LONDON, Dec 28. General Chauvel had entire charge of the operations at Maghdabawah. It recognised the movement should be swift or the Turks would get wind and evacuate, as they did El Arish. Therefore the force did not assemble till three hours after sunset at Wadel , Arish, three miles southward of the; town there. The men were rationed and the hprses fed 3nd watered. This somewhat prolonged the operations, owing to the difficulty of bringing the camel convoys fifteen miles from the Railhead across a waterless, heavy desert. It was one o } clock oh Saturday" morning when the First and Second Australian Light Horse Brigade, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, and eight companies of Imperial Camel Corps under Brigadier-General Smith, and four batteries of the territorial horse artillery, and a mounted •battery of Hong Kong and Singapore artillery moved off at a rapid pace to "cover twenty-two miles before dawn. The force halted at five o'clock, two miles from the enemy position. The Turks clearly did not anticipate an attack, as the bivouac fires were burning. General Chauvel decided to send the Second Light Horse and New Zealand Brigades eastward, giving the Camel Corps the task of the frontal attack with the First Light Horse and reserve. The airmen reported that parties of Turks were leaving, so the two brigades east hurried forward to complete the envelopment, but mat ■with a heavy machine-gun fire. Whilst the Light Horse was moving in support, the Camel Corps was heavily fired on with machine-guns and deployed westward to prevent the attempted escape. On that side it was plain the position was strongly held, so the attack proceeded in deliberate fashion, the aeroplanes bombing the Turkish entrenchments, the artillery accurately firing, and the dismounted troops, making periodical rushes. The position was difficult to attack because only one of five redoubts could be observed. That was soon wrecked, the surviving Turks hoisting the white flag. From the other redoubts the .heaviest fire was from eight till noon. Good progress was then evident, but

energetic measures were necessary to take Magdaba before darkness. The question of water for the horses and troops was becoming pressing. Though the men were suffering greatly from thirst their efforts never slackened. Early in the afternoon all the reserves were brought into action. Aeroplanes brought fresh supplies of bombs which were dropped under continual antiaircraft and machine-gun fire. The artillery poured in incessant salvoes from - eighteen pounders and there was terrific rifle and machine-gun fire on three sides. At four o'clock, the Turk ish commander, seeing his forces had suffered severe losses, accepted the inevitable and surrendered, but some rifle fire was kept up from the sand dunes till dark.

The action was brilliantly conducted. The troops did three night marches in four days, but the spirit was never -higher. The capture of this strongest position rendered many Turkish positions north of Sinai untenable.

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